The sweltering heat of summer was thoroughly expounded by the cicadas’ relentless chorus outdoors, each cry more piercing than the last.

Yu Tian sat in the café, her left eyelid twitching frantically.

On her feet were ten-centimeter stilettos, her face adorned with exquisite makeup, wearing expensive jewelry that Qi Sihao had “borrowed” from his mother, dressed in form-fitting, daringly sexy clothing that hugged her curves…

The occasional male patrons entering and leaving the café frequently cast lingering glances her way—affirmation and appreciation of her appearance and figure—yet Yu Tian felt not the slightest bit pleased with herself.

The completely different style of dress from her usual attire made her feel awkward, and the attention from others made her uneasy.

She glanced at her watch and turned to look at Qi Sihao sitting across from her: “Are you sure Ren Yali will come?”

Qi Sihao appeared completely confident: “Don’t worry, I’ve already posted my location on Weibo. It’s not far from her school—she’ll show up within half an hour.”

Yu Tian still felt uneasy: “Left eye twitching brings disaster. My left eyelid is twitching so violently, I feel like today might not go well…”

Qi Sihao dismissed this: “Either you haven’t been getting enough sleep lately, or you had facial nerve inflammation before that left aftereffects, or it’s just unexplained facial muscle spasms.”

He glanced at Yu Tian with a pained expression: “You’re studying medicine—how can you be superstitious about left eye twitching bringing disaster? If not, get some botox injections—it’ll even remove wrinkles!”

However, his words soon trailed off because through the café’s glass window, he spotted Ren Yali walking toward them.

Almost instantly, Qi Sihao’s face took on an expression as if facing a formidable enemy. He grabbed the spoon in front of him, scooped up some nearly melted ice cream, adjusted his gaze to appear lovingly tender, and was about to feed it affectionately into Yu Tian’s mouth.

At that moment, Ren Yali pushed open the door.

There weren’t many tables occupied in the café, so her gaze quickly located Qi Sihao.

The timing was perfect.

When Ren Yali walked to their table, Qi Sihao was putting on an exaggerated facial expression, speaking in an affected tone as he fed the ice cream into Yu Tian’s mouth: “Baby, from now on you take one spoonful and I’ll take one—we’ll grow old together until the end of time…”

“…” Yu Tian didn’t know if she’d accompany Qi Sihao until old age, but Helicobacter pylori probably would.

Seeing this scene, Ren Yali’s face showed a mournful, painful collapse after the initial shock. She looked at Qi Sihao: “You have a girlfriend?”

Only then did Qi Sihao pretend to just notice Ren Yali, showing perfectly appropriate surprise, then smiled and graciously introduced: “Yes, this is my girlfriend Yu Tian.”

Ren Yali’s face still showed unacceptable shock as she stared at Yu Tian: “You like this type?”

Ren Yali was used to being pampered, and under the enormous sense of defeat, she felt jealous and humiliated. Pointing at Yu Tian’s nose, her voice choked with tears as she vented: “She’s just pretty, isn’t she? Can good looks put food on the table? Beauty is just superficial!”

Qi Sihao smiled bashfully: “But you need a beautiful exterior first before people want to understand your interesting soul.”

He winked: “Yali, you can see for yourself—I’m just a shallow man. I really don’t deserve you, and I do have a girlfriend now, so you shouldn’t waste any more time on me.”

Ren Yali stormed out, slamming the door.

Qi Sihao could barely contain his desire to applaud. He triumphantly drank a cup of health-preserving goji berry tea, then cupped his hands toward Yu Tian: “Thank you, my fish! My opposite-sex brother!”

“Don’t ask me to do this kind of thing again—it makes people hate you. Can’t you just find yourself a real girlfriend?”

Qi Sihao showed a troubled expression: “I want to find one too, but after that love-at-first-sight girl I met that one time, I never had the chance to see her again. I’m a very devoted person—she’s the only girl who ever made my heart flutter. I’m still waiting for fate to bring us together again.”

He began his old refrain: “That time I jumped into a stinking ditch to save a drowning child. Because it was so foul, when I climbed out, no one was willing to give me a hand, except her. Without any hesitation, she reached out her hand to me…”

Yu Tian seriously doubted this story was fabricated by Qi Sihao, but she lacked evidence.

So she rolled her eyes at him: “Then wait until you’re seventy or eighty and your sperm loses viability.”

Qi Sihao’s family and Yu Tian’s family were originally neighbors. They’d known each other since wearing split-crotch pants, been in the same class since elementary school, and even entered Rong City Medical University’s Clinical Medicine Department together.

Ren Yali studied broadcasting and hosting at the arts college next to Rong Medical University. She fell in love with Qi Sihao at first sight during a mixer, added his contact information, and launched a fierce offensive from then on.

Even though Qi Sihao had rejected her several times, unfortunately, Ren Yali probably came from a well-off family, had smooth sailing since childhood, had a bit of a princess temperament, couldn’t accept failure, and stubbornly pestered Qi Sihao for an entire year.

Whenever Qi Sihao posted on social media or Weibo revealing his location, Ren Yali would inevitably create a “chance encounter,” claiming that as long as Qi Sihao remained single, she wouldn’t give up. This made Qi Sihao miserable, until he finally thought of asking Yu Tian for help to make Ren Yali give up once and for all.

Having solved a troublesome matter, Qi Sihao was in great spirits and couldn’t help but flatter Yu Tian.

But Yu Tian had no mood to listen to his praise—she was pressed for time and had two more dates scheduled afterward.

The first was her blind date, and the second was her mother Song Chunxiang’s blind date.

To efficiently handle all matters in one morning, Yu Tian had proactively arranged the venues for the remaining two dates.

She had scheduled the next two dates at the restaurant next to this café, booking two separate private dining rooms.

Now, having finished with Qi Sihao’s matter, she glanced at the time and prepared to rush to her blind date.

But before that, she still felt somewhat apprehensive: “Old Qi, is it really okay for me to dress like this?”

Qi Sihao gave a thumbs up: “Don’t worry. From the chat records between that blind date guy and you, he clearly wants to find a virtuous, homemaking wife who eats grass but produces milk and blood, and he has very conservative views, thinking women absolutely cannot dress sexily—that would be slutty.”

“To deal with this type of man, dress like this, dripping with jewelry, clearly not suitable for home and hearth. Since you’re not a wealthy heiress and he’s so realistic and mercenary, he’ll run!”

“But…” Qi Sihao glanced at Yu Tian and thought for a moment, “If this guy can’t move after seeing your face…”

Yu Tian pressed her lips together: “Then I still have my trump card…”

Qi Sihao paused, somewhat hesitant: “You got that certificate?”

“Mm.” Yu Tian smiled slightly, pressing her lips together. “I can ride public transportation for free now.”

She glanced at the time, didn’t say anything more to Qi Sihao, quickly grabbed her bag, and somewhat awkwardly walked in her stilettos toward the restaurant next door.

Yu Tian wasn’t in the mood for blind dating, but since the matchmaker for this blind date was her aunt, she couldn’t refuse.

Ever since her father died unexpectedly in a car accident during her high school years, her aunt had sponsored part of her tuition every year, helping her and her mother get through those years. Although they had now repaid the tuition her aunt had provided, Yu Tian would never forget this kindness.

Originally planning to chat with an open mind after adding each other on WeChat, after several rounds of conversation, Yu Tian realized that being lovers with this blind date was out of the question—even being friends was impossible:

“A wife should stay home and bear children! Isn’t the traditional virtue of our great China that men work outside while women manage the home?”

“I heard you’re not planning to become a doctor—that’s perfect! If you wanted to be a doctor, I wouldn’t dare pursue you. Female doctors are too busy and have no time to take care of their families. This way is just right—with your medical school education, if anyone in the family gets minor ailments in the future, you can take a look, and it’s convenient for caring for the elderly and children at home…”

Just thinking about the man’s remarks made Yu Tian’s temples throb.

But she still had to meet him once.

Quick battle, quick resolution.

It would be good if he rejected her.

She rehearsed her upcoming lines in her mind, gave herself a pep talk, then walked toward the second-floor private room.

But…

Was it 203 or 204?

Yu Tian had booked these rooms a month ago. With the long time gap, she had forgotten which private room was for her own blind date and which was for her mother’s.

Fortunately, she had scheduled her mother’s blind date half an hour after her own. It was still early, so her mother and her mother’s blind date family wouldn’t arrive yet. Even if she went to the wrong room, it would be empty, so it didn’t matter.

She tried her luck and pushed open the door to private room 203.

Good luck—she got it right on the first try.

There was someone inside.

The person was looking down at his phone, replying to messages. Yu Tian didn’t immediately see his face, but even sitting down, she could tell he was very tall, because his shoulders were appropriately broad, and the simple shirt on him appeared exceptionally well-fitted.

This private room’s seating was by the window, which perfectly captured the shadows cast by the lush foliage of camphor trees outside. The sunlight filtering through created just the right effect to make his silhouette appear profound and charming.

Due to the sound of Yu Tian pushing the door, he looked up.

The man before her had fair skin, deep-set features, a straight nose bridge, and a face with distinct angles and superior lines. His facial features were exceptionally clear and refined, each part exquisite, and when combined, they created a rather sophisticated sense of beauty.

Yu Tian stood frozen in the doorway for nearly a full minute.

No one had told her he would look like this.

Having no interest in blind dating, Yu Tian hadn’t even asked her aunt for his photo, hadn’t even remembered his name. Qi Sihao had joked that men who ended up on blind dates were probably not good-looking, but his appearance greatly exceeded Yu Tian’s expectations.

It was almost inhumanly beautiful.

He lifted his eyes slightly and looked at Yu Tian.

His diamond-shaped lips made him appear somewhat amorous, while his indifferent gaze gave him a condescending presence, as if he maintained detached aloofness from everything.

His appearance, combined with his current expression, created a beautiful but cold visual impact.

Then Yu Tian watched him furrow his brow slightly, seeming somewhat hesitant: “Yu Tian?”

She was right.

This was the blind date man who had been utterly revolting in their WeChat conversations.

Yu Tian felt as if a storm was brewing beneath the calm surface of her heart’s lake.

The saying that appearance reflects the heart has no basis in truth.

This appearance truly surprised her.

But quickly, she composed her emotions and naturally entered the private room.

She smiled at him: “That’s me.”

Although his appearance was indeed dazzling, Yu Tian didn’t plan to change her strategy.

“Let me introduce myself first. I just graduated this year and am currently unemployed. My father died when I was a sophomore in high school, leaving just my mother and me. We only have one economic housing unit that we live in together, and my mother just runs a small online shop with an average income.”

Self-exposing her family’s hardware shortcomings was the first step.

The second step was to display her personality flaws.

Yu Tian looked at his face with an interested expression: “What about you? What’s your current annual salary?”

He paused but still answered: “About one hundred thousand or so.”

“Pre-tax or after-tax?”

He already looked somewhat displeased, but still politely answered: “Pre-tax.”

Due to this attitude, Yu Tian felt a bit soft-hearted, but thinking of his arrogant prejudices in their WeChat conversations, she gritted her teeth and put on a sharp, mean face: “I heard you’ve been working for several years—how is it only pre-tax one hundred thousand or so?”

Being deliberately nitpicked like this, he remained neither humble nor arrogant: “According to the current personal income tax threshold, the annual tax-free amount is sixty thousand, but the number of people nationwide who can pay personal income tax is less than one hundred million. An annual income of over one hundred thousand is not particularly terrible.”

He slightly raised his eyes: “So what’s your annual income?”

Yu Tian replied matter-of-factly: “My annual income depends on your annual income, doesn’t it?”

He looked puzzled.

Yu Tian pressed her advantage: “Even if I have no income, since we’ll all be family in the future, your income is my income, right?”

“That’s why I care so much about your income.” She turned to smile at him. “But it doesn’t matter—income depends on family circumstances. Does your family have many houses? Do you have property under your name? Was it paid in full or mortgaged? What about cars? What brand did you buy?”

He indeed showed some aversion to such direct inquiries about family assets, his face showing coldness mixed with rejection as he restrained himself: “This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you yet.”

“How can it have nothing to do with me?” Yu Tian’s expression became mercenary. “Since we might become family in the future, of course, we need to know each other’s background first!”

His voice indeed turned cold: “We might not necessarily become family.”

Good!

Wasn’t this exactly what she was waiting for?

But even at this point, he hadn’t found an excuse to leave first, just looked at Yu Tian with a cold expression.

Could he be shallow and still not give up because of her looks?

Yu Tian felt somewhat guilty and nervous. His appearance was too aggressive, making her barely dare to stare at him directly, unable to figure out what he was thinking.

Finally, to be safe, Yu Tian decided to take out the certificate she had just obtained a few days ago.

“Regardless, there’s something I hope to tell you honestly.”

Yu Tian used her left hand to place her disability certificate on the table: “I don’t know if anyone told you, but my right hand is somewhat disabled.”

He indeed frowned, looking at the disability certificate on the table as if he had many questions.

Although Yu Tian had felt she had accepted reality when getting the certificate, when she actually took it out, her heart still churned with pain and embarrassment.

She wasn’t as resigned as she had thought.

On her right hand, which she desperately tried to hide, scars still stretched across her entire palm, not yet faded.

Yu Tian didn’t want to look anymore. Almost neurotic, she took out her phone, pretended to check it, then squeezed out what she thought was a natural smile toward the man across from her: “Sorry, I just got a message that my cat is suddenly having difficult labor. The situation is critical—I need to go back and perform surgery on it. See you next time.”

She hastily made up a clumsy excuse, then hid the disability certificate in her bag and fled in panic.

Ten minutes later, in the restaurant restroom, after changing out of the sexy clothes, removing all the jewelry, putting on her usual style dress, removing the elaborate makeup, and washing her face, Yu Tian looked at her familiar reflection in the mirror and gradually regained her composure.

Her performance just now meant she probably wouldn’t see that man again.

After all, Yu Tian was certain she had conveyed all the signals she should have.

Moreover, average family background, vain personality, and rudely leaving midway in blind dating, this was enough to warrant the death penalty.

Anyway, however embarrassing, it was over.

Fortunately, she had controlled the timing well. In a few more minutes, she could seamlessly transition to attend her mother’s blind date.

Although Yu Tian had handled her blind date carelessly, she took Song Chunxiang’s very seriously.

Since becoming widowed, her mother had worked day and night managing everything, and Yu Tian saw it all. She had always encouraged her mother to find a reliable second chance at happiness to share life with, but Song Chunxiang had never relented on remarriage for Yu Tian’s sake.

Due to a mistakenly sent package from her online shop, Yu Tian’s mother had encountered a divorced man of the same age while handling after-sales service.

The two had chatted on WeChat for over a month, felt very compatible, and had shared their general family situations with each other before solemnly arranging this first meeting.

To show sincerity and ease awkwardness, this in-person blind date meeting, at Song Chunxiang’s suggestion, also included their respective family members.

Fortunately, both families had relatively simple relationships. Song Chunxiang only had Yu Tian as a daughter, and the man, she heard, had also been busy with his career since his divorce and never remarried, so he only had one son who was five years older than Yu Tian.

Yu Tian hoped her mother could be happy.

Her mother had finally been able to take this step, and Yu Tian hoped for a good outcome.

Therefore, she tidied her appearance again, ensuring she could present the best side to the other family, checked the time once more, then stepped into private room 204.

But why was no one there?

It was already the appointed time, and Yu Tian waited another five minutes, but why hadn’t even her usually punctual mother arrived?

Yu Tian belatedly took out her phone, which had been on silent and stuffed in her bag since earlier.

Then she discovered an onslaught of missed WeChat calls and messages.

All from that blind date, man.

Could he be dissatisfied after the blind date and calling to scold her?

Yu Tian nervously clicked open the messages, only to discover the reality was completely different.

The messages were from half an hour ago—

“Where are you? I’m already waiting in 204.”

“? Still not coming? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

In between, he had made many voice calls, then ten minutes ago was his final message—

“You’re so insincere! Standing me up! Wasting my time! You think I wanted to go on a blind date with you? I only gave you a chance to meet because I heard you were good-looking! I heard your right hand is disabled—you think you can still be picky? You’re almost twenty minutes late—I’m not waiting anymore!”

Yu Tian stared expressionlessly at the string of messages on her phone screen, feeling a very bad premonition in her heart.

She tried sending the blind date man a message, and sure enough, he had already deleted her as a friend.

At that moment, Yu Tian’s mother called: “Xiao Yu, are you here yet? We’re all in 203, just waiting for you. Hurry up!”

“…”